I Can't Hear a Word You Say
by Miss-Statement
Summary: They say it's the little things that count. The little instances or mistakes, the littlest choices you make that have the biggest impact on our lives. Maybe on that day if I'd been paying attention, if I hadn't had my headphones on, if I'd actually paid interest in the people around me... maybe I'd have noticed you. Eventual Bechloe.
1. Prologue

_You shout it out..._

_ ...But I can't hear a word you say._

They say it's the little things that count. The little instances or mistakes, the littlest choices you make that have the biggest impact on our lives. Maybe on that day if I'd been paying attention, if I hadn't had my headphones on, if I'd actually paid interest in the people around me... maybe I'd have noticed you. Maybe I'd have heard you calling out to me about a capella. Maybe everything would've changed.

As it was, I didn't hear you. I didn't hear you, I didn't notice you, and I completely bulldozed straight through your flier like it was nothing.

I had my headphones on and a rough cut of a mix playing. The lyrics and the beats and the bass were playing around in my ears and in my thoughts. Trying to figure out that one little thing that was wrong with it mattered so much more than the activites fair. I couldn't figure it out. What was wrong with this cut of the song?

And so I didn't notice your brilliantly lit up expression; the fire in your hair and the light in your eyes and the warmth in your smile. I didn't feel that spark from your hand grazing mine as you successfully shoved a flier into my hands. And I didn't get to hear your beautiful, entrancing voice at all. I just walked right passed.

"Hey, any interest in joining our Bellas?"

A more perfect muse couldn't have been handed to me, but I just walked on by. The flier fell from your hands and was trampled beneath my feet.


	2. Chapter 1

"We're doomed."

Chloe flopped face first on her bed and laid there, the weight of the world too much to bare for the moment, her voice muffled by a pillow.

Aubrey had followed her into Chloe's bedroom. She looked over at where she was pretty sure her roommate was suffocating herself and sighed, "Come on, Chloe, have a little faith. We're going to do great this year." Chloe, peeked up from under her hair, looking towards Aubrey doubtfully. Biting her lip, Aubrey perched at the edge of the bed tentatively. "Really, Chloe. So maybe we won't have eight _super _hot girls, but that's something we can work on so long as we get eight girls who can sing."

Chloe rolled over and sat up. Incredulously she asked, "Since when did you start listening to anything I have to say?"

"I always listen to what you say." Chloe's eyebrow inched up on her face, as if asking _really? _Aubrey backtracked in defense, "It's just that sometimes what you have to say isn't conducive to achieving our goal- we need to be the best, Chloe- and let's face it: I know what I'm doing." _As compared to-_

She didn't really want to get into this right now, with Aubrey. Instead Chloe just rolled her eyes and jumped off the bed. "I'm going to take a shower," Chloe stated abruptly, gathering a towel and other supplies from her closet. The redhead waved goodbye to her roommate with a teasing, "Don't wait up!" The blond just rolled her eyes in response. They both knew she'd probably be fast asleep by the time Chloe got back. It was well after midnight.

A smile on her face, Chloe left their shared apartment while texting Tom. Chloe could use a stress reliever.

* * *

Okay, so maybe by stress reliever Chloe was talking about sex. She'd fooled around with Tom once at some sorority party or other, and he seemed like the kind of guy that was all "no strings attached". She didn't need a boyfriend (or girlfriend, for that matter-), and Tom had seemed open to the idea at the time, so they switched numbers. When they met up in the girls bathrooms on the third floor of Tom's dorm, was it at all ridiculous for Chloe to assume that they'd get right straight to doing the horizontal tango? Maybe in this case it would be the vertical tango, but after about thirty minutes of nothing really happening Chloe was starting to get frustrated.

Tom's front was pressed against her back, though it felt like he was miles away. She leaned her head back on his shoulder but he pulled away from her, and his hands stayed where they were- thoroughly washing her hair. For the past half hour. "Chloe-" he moaned. He wasn't even washing her hair sensually! How could he be so into this? "Just wait until we get back to my dorm."

...What?

Chloe just sighed and accepted the fact that her life sucked.

She was getting ready to ditch this popsicle stand when the door to the bathrooms opened and she heard this voice-

_You shout it out_

_But I can't hear a word you say_

_I'm talking loud, n__ot saying much_

Her eyes widened and all thoughts of leaving left her mind. This girl- whoever she was- was singing her _lady jam. _And she was singing it _good. _Better than good. God, it was better than the nonexistent sex she was having. Chloe immediately shut her shower's water off. Tom tried to grab her hips and lean in and kiss her (finally) but this time she was the one to push him away. Her head tilted to the side as she listened to the alto's melody.

_I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet-_

Chloe bit her lip. She didn't recognize the voice at all, so she contemplated the morality of her decisions for a moment. On a scale of one to ten, how creepy would it be if she just barged into some random person's shower?

_-You shoot me down, but I get up_

Quickly stepping out of her shower, sidestepping Tom, she walked over to where she heard the girl's voice coming from and paused outside the shower. Her hand was poised to move the curtain aside, because damn- the things that song was doing to her body- and damn- the things that song could do for the Bellas- but uncertainty ate at her. She noticed the standard BU rape whistle dangling just out of the girl's bathrobe from where it was tucked in a pocket. There was the faint shadow of where the girl stood behind the curtain. Should she... ?

It was the next line that convinced her.

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_

_Fire away, fire away_

Chloe stepped back. Maybe if she'd ever spoken to the girl before, she'd take the risk. The song certainly seemed to be encouraging her to just open that shower curtain and join in, but she wasn't that weird.

Just as she moved to step back to leave the girl to her privacy, she made the mistake of stepping forwards, shoving the curtain aside instead, and invading the stranger's privacy. Whoops. It's for the Bellas, she told herself.

Maybe she was a little weird. Like a proud mama bear, Chloe couldn't keep the ecstatic grin off her face or from exclaiming-

_"You can sing!"_

_"Dude!"_

* * *

The worst part wasn't even that the girl did pull out the BU rape whistle and blow. It wasn't even that she spent the next three and a half hours having to explain to campus security why she barged in on some other girl's shower at three in the morning. It wasn't even that bad having to explain it all to Aubrey, whom she had to call from the campus holding cell to come pick her up, at six thirty. And sure, it was embarrassing for Tom to walk into her early morning biology class with all her bathroom supplies and an apology for ditching her after security pulled her out of the bathroom because of her and that other girl's "misunderstanding". But even after all of that, there was one thing that bugged her the most.

She's not sure whether she convinced that brunette to come to auditions or not.

She had a feeling, and maybe you could call it a woman's intuition, that the brunette was leaning more towards the latter.

This made Chloe disappointed. She couldn't get the alto's voice out of her head. She wouldn't be calling Tom again.

* * *

That was the second time that I had a chance to speak with you, to notice you. God, you were literally standing there before me in all your glory- complimenting me, of all things- and I was too busy worrying about the fact that my privacy was invaded. I'd never spoken to you before, and here you were talking to me like I was your long lost friend. But, dude, I was naked. I felt naked.

That one is both literal and metaphorical.

Oh my God.

I don't sing... for anyone else. And here you come bursting into my shower in the early morning hours when I expected to be alone, just as equally bare as I, and catch me singing David Guetta. I felt vulnerable, and with the way you just seemed to keep stepping in closer-

_"Remember- don't blow it unless it's actually happening."_

You were a shock to my system; does a mind fuck count?

You were so passionate about your "singing group on campus" that I could barely understand that you were inviting me to join. I hadn't caught your name or theirs, even as campus security dragged you out of the room, and I was left standing in the wake wondering what had just happened.

"Well, alone isn't where I expected to end up tonight." There was a guy just standing there watching as security dragged you away. I looked at him in shock as he turned to face me. "Hi, my name is Tom." He smirked, "You have a lovely singing voice." I slammed my curtain closed and retreated back into my shower, turning the water back on.

All I could see in my mind was your face.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Just wanted to shout out to the two of you that did review the last time, and all the other few that fav'd or followed this fic. I know the prologue wasn't much to go off of, but thanks anyway for your faith. Sorry if I don't post for long periods of time. Getting ready for finals soon, plus there's work and college crap that I need to take care of. I promise to post when I can.**

**I know the tone or style of writing for this chapter may be a little different, but that's because of the point of view. Just trust me when I say this will all work out in the end. If you have any ideas that could build onto this story, go ahead and leave me the details. I'm open to other opinions.**

**Also- I'm not gay. I'm straight as straight can be, but I'm open to the fact that hey, If I ever meet the a girl and fall in love or something, that's life. Things change. Love is loves, dudes and dudettes. It can be confusing, but just accept it and move on. Or not, you know, just respect that I do. I'm open to whatever life throws at me.**

**To my Guest reviewer: Lol, can't make any guarentees- Life and love are full of twists and turns.**

**To YouJustGotPitchedSlapped: Shorty get down, good lord... Sorry, that's just what came to my mind with your comment. Glad I caught your attention-**


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